Journalist, entrepreneur and marketing firm founder. I write about higher ed and early career issues. Pithily. I was pontificating about Millennials and Millennial culture back when they were still known as Gen Y.

Meet Julia Nunes, YouTube's Ukulele Queen

When asked about her self-made success, Julia Nunes is charmingly modest. The 23 year-old, Brookyln-based singer-songwriter who has opened for the likes of Ben Folds and Ben Kweller, appeared on Conan andinspired Molly Ringwald to take up the ukulele doesn’t aspire to superstardom or even a major label record deal.

“I’m not trying to build a brand or anything. Really, I’m trying to connect with the people who have reached out to me and like my music. I use Twitter and Facebook and Tumblr because they’re a way to communicate. I talk about touring and new videos as well as silly things that happen to me and personal stuff.”

Nunes’s claim to fame is her YouTube music videos. Her channel boasts over 200 000 subscribers and her videos, in which the perky, fair-haired musician plays the ukulele and sings both original compositions and covers ranging from The Beach Boys to Paramore, have been viewed over 50 000 000 times. But this success was far from expected.

“YouTube played a completely accidental role in my career as a musician. I had no intention of gaining attention from posting videos. I started recording little videos to send them to friends from back home during my freshman year of college to stay in touch and show them what I was working on. I even avoided putting the videos on Facebook because I thought YouTube might be more private. The following that came from posting my videos was a total surprise. My only piece of advice to someone hoping to do the same is to make videos that you’re really proud of. If you’re making something you love, other people will love it too.”

Last month, Nunes released her fifth album, Settle Down, which she’s currently touring in support of. Unlike previous recordings that were paid for entirely out of pocket, Nunes turned to Kickstarter to fund this effort. And her fans responded in droves - her original funding goal was $15 000, but the final donation tally was almost $78 o00, cracking the top five of most-funded Kickstarter music projects on record. The response left Nunes awed and humbled. “I was shocked by the reaction, such a huge relief. I was able to extend my time in the studio, bring in more musicians, spend less time freaking out and more time being creative,” she says. In another departure from previous albums, Nunes chose to release Settle Down on Mordomo Records/Thirty Tigers and not Rude Butler Records, the label that she founded and owns and under which she has issued the rest of her catalog.

Julia Nunes and Company (Photo credit: reedkavner)

While she didn’t set out to be a poster child for DIY musical success, now that she knows what full creative control feels like, she’s confident that the entrepreneurial approach is the right one for her.

“From the beginning I’ve been in complete control. I didn’t really think about it until record labels started approaching me and I realized I did not want anyone telling me what to do or what kind of music to make. I definitely decided to do it this way, but I think it was partly fated from the start. I hope that the self made musician can continue to thrive. I feel so lucky to be making music and I think people are ready for a more sincere age of music with kids just trying to live their dreams, making music they wish they heard on the radio.”

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